Visionary
Mind ShiftsTM
(previously Power To Stand: A Course In Greatness)
Written by Michael Skye for the Vision
Force Academy

Warning:
Each Visionary Mind Shift may be easy enough to grasp
at a glance, yet each is a puzzle piece in a larger
puzzle called the Vision Force Matrix. The more
you integrate this shift with the other shifts, the
more the matrix will begin to emerge. Your
understanding of the distinctions and the matrix
itself will evolve as you move through the
course. To speed that evolution, do your best to
view each word and distinction as something new, a
mystery, rather than by relating it to what you
already know.

There is an incredible power and many advantages
available to the person who not just understands this
distinction, but who can and does skillfully apply it
from moment to moment. Most of us in life today
operate from the goodness world, and are thus left quite
powerless to affect lasting change in our lives or the
world around us.

Orientation:

Goodness

Greatness

Approach
To Resolving Conflict With Others

The quality of compromising your highest inner
guidance, especially when it conflicts with the
prevailing moral standards or societal norms.

The quality of acting on your highest inner guidance,
even when it conflicts with the prevailing moral
standards or societal norms.

Approach
To Resolving Conflict With Self

Compromising.
The quality of compromising one's higher
values in the face of fear.

Standing.
The quality of standing for one's higher
values in the face of fear.

Guidance
Orientation

External.
Value the esteem of others OVER esteem of
self.

Internal.
Value the esteem of self OVER esteem of others.

Inner
Guidance* Model

Position-based.
Self = position = me.

Stand-based.
Self = stand = i.

I-Orientation*

Protect
me (self as position) and risk i (self as
stand) in reaction to fear.

Stand
for i (self as stand) and risk me (self as
position) in the face of any fear.

*Nevermind
for the moment if this is not fully
clear. This is just the beginning.

Jon and
Steve have just been hired as executives of ACME Co.They quickly learn that in their new company
being a good executive means following the dictates of
the CEO.Both
Jon and Steve are hard workers who diligently carry out
the orders of the boss.Jon, however is a graduate of an elite
institution that included extensive character training.He’s been taught what it means to be a good
leader and a good follower.

Both soon
hear a vague rumor that their new boss and others are
likely cooking the books and stealing from the
shareholders.Neither
one knows for sure, but they start to sense that it
might very well be true.Jon thinks about prying, but would rather not
know.If he
doesn’t know, how can he possibly get in trouble?And questioning could get him fired.So Jon continues to work as usual, never asking
too many questions, and dutifully carrying out his
responsibilities.

When the
CEO gets busted four months later, loyal Jon adamantly
defends the character of his boss, confidently telling
everyone that he never knew of any improprieties.He was right, and felt justified.He had stayed within the limits of the law, and
within the limits of reasonable business ethics.On top of that, he knew inside that he was a good
person and a good executive.

Steve, on
the other hand, upon hearing the rumors, inquired into
the rumor.Upon
obtaining some more facts, he thought there was a good
chance that his boss might be doing something unethical
and illegal.He
thought about confronting his boss, and saw that it
might very well lead to his getting fired, or at least
being ostracized and passed over for promotion.He felt fear, a lot of fear.He took a stand and faced his fear the next
morning, as he confronted his boss.In their meeting it would have been easy for
Steve to turn away after his boss eloquently explained
his actions, but Steve persisted.He kept facing his fear, and asking the questions
that needed to be asked.He was fired the next week for “poor
performance.”

A Key
Point:

There’s
a huge yet subtle difference between goodness and
greatness.We’re
going to dive deep into discovering the power, the skill
and the subtleties of
greatness inside this course.

Visionary
Advantage:

On paper,
Jon looks like a good executive.Over the years he has kept his jobs longer and
has proven to be a
"good," loyal team player.Yet with every choice to compromise his
conscience in order to avoid fear and take the easy path
to “success,” he loses power.He loses his power to trust himself, he loses the
ability to hear the warnings of conscience and while he
may win friends, he loses their trust in his leadership.

But
it goes deeper than this. It doesn't matter how
much Jon tries to be a good executive, or become
"successful." The less he faces his
fear, the less he can see the kind of vision that calls
himself and others to greatness.

Steve on
the other hand, builds his power with every choice to
face his fear.With every choice, his vision, self trust and grip of reality
strengthens.He
is quickly becoming the kind of leader any team trusts
implicitly. Steve lives "greatness."

Visionary
Dynamic:

The more
you stand and face your fear, the more powerful your
vision grows.

Visionary Challenge:

What can
you face in your life today that you've been
avoiding? What feelings would you have to face to
confront this issue or person head on? What would
be worth standing for?

Journal
about this until you are inspired to take that
stand. Then take it, and journal about your
experience. The more you see yourself taking
stands like this, the more you see what?

Visionary
Training:

Anyone
can muster the courage to face a tough situation now and
again. It's another thing to have facing be
a way of life. What would it be like to not just
live courageously, but to always be facing, always
standing?

How can
you take a stand such that you feel called from deep
within? Where can you go to get conditioning in
facing and standing--not from a place of sheer guts--but
from a deep inner feeling of being called to be
"the one?"

>
14+ hours of live recorded conference
calls (MP3s)
We give you the entire Vision Force 101
program (normally $397) on a digital CD--a
perfect supplement to Visionary Mind.
Listen to participants do the exercises
and learn from their insights.

>
Access to private on-line member area,
where you can interact with other students
for years to come.